NAIROBI,Kenya – ICJ Kenya joins the rest of the world to advocate against gender-based violence in the coming weeks of the 16 Days of Activism.This year’s theme, “UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls” is timely as it calls on the governments worldwide to share how they are investing in gender-based violence prevention.
The Maputo Protocol defines violence against women as all acts perpetrated against women which cause or could cause them physical, sexual, psychological, and economic harm, including the threat to take such acts; or to undertake the imposition of arbitrary restrictions on or deprivation of fundamental freedoms in private or public life in peace time and during situations of armed conflicts or of war.
Violence against women is a human right concern deeply rooted in societal norms, as such women and girls across the world continue to experience different forms of violence. In Kenya, Statistics from the Kenya National Demographic Health Survey 2022 indicates that 34 per cent of women in Kenya have experienced physical violence since the age 15 and that the expérience of violence among women increases with age.
The Policy and legislative framework on the rights of women and girls have been entrenched in International, Regional and National Levels. At the regional level, the Maputo Protocol recognizes the crucial role of women in the preservation of African values based on the principles of equality, peace, freedom, dignity, justice, solidarity and democracy.
It calls upon state parties, to enact and enforce laws to prohibit all forms of violence against women including unwanted or forced sex whether the violence takes place in private or public.
At the National Level, Kenya has enacted various legislation aimed to address the different forms of violence and women and girls being ; the Prevention Against Domestic Violence Act, Sexual Offences Act, and the Female Genital Mutilation Act.
Despite the elaborate regulatory framework, statistics indicate that women and girls continue to experience the different forms of violence. This therefore calls for a multi dimensional approach towards the prevention of GBV in Kenya. Consequently, during this year’s campaign, we call upon the government to invest in gender based violence prevention mechanisms.
